Journey Ahead
by Ebitch
Summary: Aurora McCombs had her childhood crushed when she was only twelve. She knew all the dangers that lie within the Survey Corps. She didn't expect there to be titan shifters and a revolution. Follow the story from Aurora's perspective and decide her fate. I own nothing of Attack on Titan.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so this is either my first story published or second one. I'm having trouble with this site. Either way, I only own my original character and nothing else. I want you to find the flaws in my writing style and criticize me. As long as it's not flaming. And also when I say so, you decide who my character ends up with. I'll explain it then. **

A small red-haired girl wearing a school uniform sulked down the cobble stoned street. She grumbled, kicking a stone ungracefully. _"I bloody hate those assholes… do they have nothing else to do than torment me? Haven't I been through enough?"_

"God damn it all!" The small girl yelled out, letting out her frustration and pain. She held her naturally crimped hair on her hands, sweat forming on her forehead. Anger flooded her systems for a split second. The girl started to breathe deeply, some desperate attempt to calm herself.

The loud dinging noise of the bells sounded. She, along with all the rest of the citizens started to make their way towards the gate, curiosity getting the better of her. By the time she arrived there, most of the adults had crowded the area, some excited, and others afraid.

"Can't see squat! Come on!" A boy just a few years younger than herself voiced the redhead's thoughts in a more polite manner said. He wore a red sweater, had shaggy chocolate brown hair, and the most brilliant green-blue eyes she ever saw. A Eurasian girl that was his age followed after him. She wore a pink and white dress with a blood red scarf wrapped around her neck. The both of them were carrying firewood on their backs. The redhead slowly and shyly made her way towards the pair that stood on boxes.

"Hi, if it's not too much trouble, could I share that box? To see the soldiers." She rambled out a bit too quickly. He stared at her for a few moments.

"Yeah, sure. Don't hog the thing." He responded, helping the older girl up. The redhead gave a short thank you and stood as close to the edge as possible. The sounds of horses and carriages came closer and closer until they finally came into sight. The front of the squad was on horses, with minimal damage. The second of command looked over to the three, with an astonished look in his eyes. Only the boy was excited while the raven haired girl held a neutral face. The redhead looked devastated. She didn't know what the boy next to her saw, but all she could see was death.

"Moses! Please have you seen my son?" An old woman asked after barreling down the street. _"No, oh God no…"_ The redhead thought, knowing the scene all too well. When the package revealed the severed arm and remains of Moses, the girl had to retreat to her mind. Something that she found she was doing more and more often. _"Don't you go there Aurora… what if that was my dad? What if that arm was me? Stop that right now!" _

When Aurora came back to reality, the kids next to her had disappeared with a bald man yelling something along the lines of, "Yeah, you better run!" She looked down to see a used stick on the ground. Aurora easily deduced what happened with the kids.

"Oh shit! I'm late! Run, run, run!" Aurora mumbled to herself quickly, sprinting towards home. Unfortunately for her, her home was at least thirty minutes away by foot. Sweat began to cling to her hair and shirt about fifteen minutes in. She had to stop and catch her breath when she was just five minutes away from her house. Aurora walked her way up to the door and ungracefully shut the door behind her.

"Aurora McCombs! Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been?" Her father questioned her, throwing the oil stained rag on the dining table. His wild curly red hair was also coated in oil, sweat glistened on his forehead. He knelt down to her level, his gray blue eyes staring in the orbs she shared. Aurora hung her head low in guilt. "Look at me," he said in a softer tone, his hand cupping her chin, slowly lifting it up. Her eyes were tearing.

"Daddy, I was watching the soldiers. There was this woman looking for her son…" Aurora broke into sobs after that. He held her close in a tight hug, all he could hear was, "severed arm," and also "so much blood."

"Do you still want to join the military? Even though you now know the dangers that lie behind those walls?" Aurora looked up at her father. She contemplated this for a while, her eyes going off into space.

"Well… I want to help people. And if we do nothing about this, we won't live for very long. I don't know how to describe it. I don't know." She muttered self consciously, looking down once more.

"I understand. You feel the need to attribute something more to this world than eat and sleep. You want to see more of the world. You want some purpose," Aurora nodded, looking back up to him with admiration. "I will support you in whatever decision you make. I understand what you're felling. It runs in our family."

"But I don't want to leave you alone, I don't want to bring in more bad news-" She argued but was waved off.

"Listen. People like you were born to be heroes. You need to remember that's not the only option. I help the military by making the 3DMG faster and lighter. Dr. Jaeger single handedly saved our town from the plague. You still have plenty of time to decide what you want to do. You just need to make the one you'll regret the least." Aurora smiled and hugged him before a huge crash wave hit the both of them. Screams could be heard from outside and dust damn near replaced the air. They waited for everything to settle down before getting back up. Her father immediately grabbed her and dragged her to the 3DMG he finished tweaking. As he got the necessary belts on to wear the 3DMG he ordered her.

"Rory, I need you to listen to me and follow everything Daddy says. When I have this on, you are to hold on to me and don't let go. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. No buts, this is an emergency." Aurora nodded her head while saying, "Yes sir." He clipped the last belt and hooked the gear up.

"Good, now get on. And close your eyes." She did as she was told and piggy backed on his back, squeezing her eyes shut. There was a lot of movement and she felt them lift off the ground. The screams became louder. But now she could hear the crunching of bones and flesh.

It seemed like forever before she felt herself on the ground again. Her father forced her off and grabbed her hand, running towards the boat, getting aboard. Just when she started to believe that everything was going to be alright, that her father would be alright, one of the Garrison grabbed her father, demanding how he came across the 3DMG. Aurora looked at him, worried, unable to move towards him. The second she was on board she went to the rails, staring at her father. Aurora was so focused she didn't even notice the boy and the girl she met earlier, one of which was shell shocked. Nor did she notice the titans coming closer. She did notice the boat moving. _"No!"_ Her stare intensified, looking lucid. Then the gate started to close. Every second that went by broke her heart, cementing her worst nightmare was coming true.

The Armored Titan rounded the corner, charging towards the gate, and then broke through. And in the very moment, what innocence Aurora had died. The Aurora that people knew died. A piece of the wall had crushed her father. Her nightmare came true. Aurora screamed all of her anguish out. Someone had pulled her back to the boat. When Aurora snapped her head towards the person viciously, she saw that it was the Eurasian she saw earlier. She saw in her dark gray eyes some sort of understanding beneath that neutral façade. All she could do was break down. She cried until she fell passed out against the wall.

**So that's it! Be sure to rate and review, follow and favorite and what not on your way out. Also check out my friend's page OnyxJDShadow, JDShadow, and Mechies Universe. Most of those stories are Marvel universe. And be sure to check out the story that I'm co writing for my friend, Strange Happenings in Mechies Universe. Thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, sorry if it's been a while. Junior year started, so I'll be preoccupied with school and general laziness. I also got pretty sick.**

**THANK YOU NESSATAM! YOU'RE MY FIRST!**

**Also the fan art cover is Aurora as an adult and happy, but we have a long way unil that happens. **

**Anyways, I don't own the anime nor manga Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan. If anyone sounds OOC then tell me and I'll fix the problem.**

**ENJOY!**

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Aurora walked aimlessly through the crowd, her blue grey eyes cold and dull to the world around her. She still wore the same school uniform as she did the other day, only dirtier and tattered._ 'Jer will be here in two days to take you into his home... How am I going to tell him about Daddy?'_ Tears brimmed her eyes, making them shine a brighter shade of blue and more alive, but Aurora refused to let her tears fall.

She walked up to one of the Garrison soldiers and snatched her ration of bread and stormed off, barely containing her irrational rage towards the Stationary Guards. _'If they let Daddy on the boat then he would of lived... it's their fault he's crushed... Aurora you know it wasn't their fault. Not completely. The thing you should be mad at is the Armored Titan or whatever the fuck it's called.'_

She sat down against the wall, silently eating her ration while staring at the people around her. They all lost someone they cared about, she knew she wasn't alone. Aurora could see the devastation all around her. She knows it's selfish of her to be so self centered and pointing fingers to make herself feel better. She just couldn't think of any other way to cope with what happened. Her eyes finally stopped on the Eren boy. He was with Mikasa and talking to some blonde boy with a bowl cut and three loafs of bread. He passed them out to Eren and Mikasa.

Aurora got up, stuffing her bread into her knapsack and walked towards the trio. _'What are they talking about? Does he remember me?' _She thought to herself, interest peaking through her eyes. She stopped just five feet away from them, fear crippling her._ 'This is so stupid, why am I wanting to talk to them? They'll probably be like everyone else and call me a freak or a whore...' _She was about to turn around when she noticed that Eren had turned and stared at two Garrison soldiers that was talking shit about the Shinganshi victims.

Eren walked up to the pair and kicked one in the shin, putting them back in their place and pointed out how they knew nothing. Aurora charged towards them when they beat Eren into the ground. Aurora's foot connected into thee chest of the soldier at her right and pushed through, knocking him down a foot away. Then she was hit in the back of the head with the butt of the gun by the other soldier.

"You little-!"

Aurora looked him straight into his eyes, sending him the most savage glare she could muster, waiting to see if he would pull the trigger. A glint of fear appeared in his orbs before vanishing, cocking the rifle. Just before he pulled the trigger, the blonde ran in front, holding him hands up.

"Wait! We're sorry! They're just hungry! You know how little food there is..." The blonde went on, essentially saving Aurora and Eren's life. He glared at Aurora, glancing at Eren, then looked backed to the blonde before turning around.

"Tell your friends that they're not the only ones hungry." He grumbled out before walking away from the four children. Aurora had already recovered from the blow, and decided to help Eren out and pull him up. She was going to walk away to find some dark corner to hide out in before the boy grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, I remember you, the box girl, right?" The green eyed boy said, surprising Aurora. She hide behind her matted red hair before answering with a shy yes, "I'm Eren, this is Mikasa and Armin." Mikasa only starred at her while Armin gave a shy wave with a warm smile. She slightly looked up, feeling a little braver.

"I'm Rory. You alright?" She asked, looking him up and down in a worried matter.

"I'm fine, you should be worrying about yourself." She then remembered she was hit in the head. 'Huh... why do I not feel that?'

"Don't worry about that, it'll be fine. I just wanted to say hello, if I see you again I'll talk to you. Bye," Aurora left with that, anxiety becoming too much for the twelve year old. Aurora found one of the barracks that they were to stay in. There wasn't a mirror to see what the damage was. She looked around the room for some sort of bandage or cloth to wrap her head. She had no luck. Aurora sunk down, hands in her pockets, then she got lucky. Her fathers bandana was somehow inside her left pocket. She pulled it out slowly, tears brimming her eyes once again. She held it out in front of her delicately, as if it was some precious piece of jewelry that would shatter. This was the last thing connecting her to Shinganshi, to her old life, to her father. Aurora carefully tied it around her head, letting the tears fall. She couldn't stop shaking, she couldn't stop crying.

That night in the barracks was crowded and overwhelming. Everyone was pushed against each other on the cold ground, the thin blankets did little to warm them up in the icy night. Aurora was pressed against the wall, a middle aged woman entrapping her. It took hours for her to fall asleep, and once she did, all she had was nightmares. All she could see was her father crushed to a pulp, buried under rubble of the interior gate, surrounded by titans. She woke up screaming and crying, completely alone.

Aurora took another ten minutes before leaving to get her ration, then going back, not wanting to talk to anyone. She sat back down against her wall. 'What if I were to join the military instead of going home to Jer? He wouldn't be too happy to find out his little sister ran off to join the Survey Corps after losing Daddy... basically sentencing my own death. But what am I going to do? I refuse to be a sheep, just waiting to be picked for something's dinner. I'm going to make myself worth something and actually help our survival... I need to get revenge against those monsters for what they did to me, to everyone.' Time went by faster than she thought, as it was time for everyone to sleep. She lied down, pressed against her wall again. She didn't sleep that night, partially because she was livid and partially because she was terrified of the dreams coming back.

She went through the same routine, except she decided to stay out in the open and eat her bread. It wasn't long until she saw her brunette brother running towards her, his blue gray orbs were red from crying, his hair was messed, and he had stubble growing. He looked scared and devastated. He was still dressed in his Military Police uniform. Aurora started to run towards him, tears flowing freely from her face.

"Oh God... I'm so sorry... I want him back..." She rambled, crying into his jacket. They both broke down, mourning their father. She doesn't remember how she got into the carriage, but she's there now. She knew she had to tell him, no matter how horrible it is.

"Jer..."

"What is it Rory?" He turned his full attention towards her, making her feel guilty over her choice.

"I'm not coming home with you. I'm going to join the Trainee Corps-"

"Rory... stop it, it's not funny. Besides, they're already a year in. It's going to be near impossible to get in this late." Jer said in a stern and deep baritone voice, making her flinch slightly. He didn't lighten up, "Aurora, I don't want to loose you too."

"And you won't. I'll damn make sure of that. And considering our family past, I'm sure that Shadis will accept. I want do something with my life that's useful. Please just take me there." Aurora snapped out a little too harshly, voice slightly rising.

"You saw what they were like!"

"Exactly! How can we survive if they're around?"

"You're making a dumb ass decision!" The siblings were yelling at each other at this point.

"The dumb ass idea would be waiting at home, going to that useless school, just assuming that everything is fine and dandy, and getting married to some rich prick with his thumb up his ass!" This shut Jer up, "I will join the Trainee Corps, then I will go to the Survey Corps. Please just help me get there." He huffed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Fine! On the condition that if anything goes wrong, ANYTHING, you come straight back to me in Sina." Aurora nodded her head in agreement. The tall brunette rummaged through a tan cotton laundry bad, grabbed a pair of small white pants and threw it towards his sister, "Put those on in the back. I'll pull some strings so you can at least get an admission test." He grumbled out, walking towards the front seat of the carriage.

Aurora climbed into the back, glad to have a little privacy. She quickly threw her skirt and dress shoes off and pulled on the pants. As the redhead stepped back into her shoes, Jer made the carriage move forward, knocking her to her feet. Aurora sat back up, rubbing her head and growling as she did so.

"Thanks for the warning!" She yelled out, sarcasm evident in her tiny voice. He laughed and smiled a buck toothed grin.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I can't hear you!" The goofy eighteen year-old teased, yelling in a louder, more playful tone. Aurora cursed, grinning a little. For that little moment, things felt almost back to normal, siblings bickering over tiny little things. But the moment didn't last long. Jer spoke up again, "Hey did you sleep at all last night? You look like the dead." She had no doubt that her eyes were sullen and had bags under them.

"No..." She responded meekly. Jer sighed, clearly worried over his younger sibling.

"Sleep, Rory. I'll wake you up when we're there. It's not too far from here." Aurora huffed in response, lying down in the carriage, not bothering in arguing with him. She didn't know just how tired she was until she closed her eyes,

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**Alright that;s it for now. Thank you for reading! R&amp;R, favorite and follow. Check out my friend's page from before. **

**GOODNIGHT LOS ANGELOS**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! Forgot to thank you for following my story, SulliMike33 (pretty sure that's you're user name), anyways thanks! I've also uploaded another story, "Dragged Into The Blood," which is a Resident Evil story. It would mean the world to me if you read and followed that as well. If anything seems off, or boring, tell me about in the reviews or messaging. Constructive criticism never hurts. I don't own anything here except for my little Rory. And sorry it's been a while since I've updated. Anyways here's your chapter!**

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"_Daddy, Daddy! Read me a bedtime stowy!" A small six-year-old squealed, wrapping her arms around a man around the age of 23. He smiled wide, happiness twinkled in his blue steel eyes. _

"_Yes ma'am!" He chuckled out, picking young Aurora up like a princess and brought her to her small but cozy room that was filled with stuffed animals. Both father and daughter giddily when he pretended to sky rocked her into bed. Jer was out with his friends._

"_Daddy, your beawd is tickling me!" Little Rory shrieked out, a fit of giggles following shortly after. Her father feigned to contemplate her request, petting his light red scruff. Mischief glinted in his orbs before rubbing his cheek all over her neck, her ticklish spot. Rory screeched again, laughing uncontrollably, and failed to swat him away. He finally stopped after a few moments of this. _

"_Alright, what do you want me to read, Your Highness?" Zach majestically asked, bowing low. Aurora laughed again, her smile ear-to-ear. _

"_That one! I want Wed Widing Hood!" Rory answered, pointing to the red hard cover book with shiny gold lettering in the bookshelf behind Zach, not pronouncing the "r"'s in her sentence. He walked over to the bookshelf turned, then held the book behind his back. He mock glared at her. Aurora looked down, pouting, knowing this drill already._

"_Red Riding Hood..." She reluctantly corrected herself. He pulled the book back from behind his back, her face immediately brightened up. _

"_Good! You know you're too old to be doing that." He lectured, opening the book. Little Aurora only nodded, her grin just barely fading. He looked at her for a good moment before looking back down to the first page in the book. Her grin widened again, she eagerly waited for the story to start. _

"_Once Upon A Time..."_

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"Daddy?!" Twelve-year-old Aurora awoke in the carriage alone, looking around her desperately. Tears freely streamed down her face when she remembered that her father was dead. She curled up in a ball, attempting to make her cries silent._ "Dad... Why? Why you too..."_ She thought to herself gloomily.

She wiped the tears off of her cheeks with the pants she wasn't wearing after a few minutes of this. She held a look of emptiness on her face, her eyes hollow of any emotion. Aurora dropped herself from the carriage and looked at were she was. It was damn near barren, all except for the few cabins, storage units and bathing barracks. It was nighttime, the half-moon shining above along with beautiful stars, contrasting the deep indigo of the sky. There was a light breeze that mussed with her deep red hair. Aurora admired the simple beauty of nature that seemingly contrasted the manmade cabins that stood less than a hundred feet from her.

The sound of footsteps snapped her out of her little day dream. Two figures walked towards her. Both were considerably taller than her, though one was familiar to her, her brother. The other looked quite intimidating, dark skin that blended him in with the shadows, his bronze eyes appeared to be surrounded by darkness. He wore a large green-brown trench coat on, and had an odd goatee. The darkness off the night wouldn't let her see anything else about him. In a matter of minutes the stranger was toe to toe with her, Jer being behind the stranger.

"So this is your sister?" He gruffly asked Jer while looking staring straight at Aurora. She glanced sassily to Jer and back to the strange man.

"Yes, I am the infamous sister, and you are?" Aurora mockingly asked, raising her eyebrows while doing so. His glare only intensified. Aurora felt her heart rate pick up dangerously, and she didn't think it was because of his charm. All she could think about was kneeing his face in.

"Rory!" Aurora glared at her older brother, mentally saying, "what?" He gave her a warning look of don't fuck with him. "That's Keith Shadis, he runs the Trainee Corps," He gritted out, whilst shaking his head. Aurora took the hint and backed off with a sigh.

"Sorry sir." Aurora simply said to Shadis, hanging her head an inch lower. Shadis took a step back, his face not quite as intimidating as it was before. It wasn't much of an improvement either. Shadis gave her a curt nod and turned to walk towards some stand with bungee. _"What the hell is that? Some super wedgie pole?" _Aurora thought sarcastically, her left corner twitching up into a smirk. It was short lived when all three of them stopped in front of it. The bungee chord were attacked to some belts. Aurora didn't have much time to assess the contraption before having a full body belt suit about her size tossed at her.

"Go put that on in the stalls. This is a mobility test that will determine whether or not you'll become a Trainee." Shadis simply explained, and motioned to the cabin a little ways away. Aurora turned towards the direction he motioned to, giving her brother an awkward smile before jogging to the cabin.

Aurora quickly opened the door and stood in front of a full body mirror. She looked down at the untangled leather bundle. _"It looks like some sort of puzzle..." _She thought, perplexing on how to put it on. _"Maybe this is the real test..." _She undid all the straps, which confused her even more.

Luckily she strapped her ankles and thighs correctly. It took her a full three minutes before she figured out how to do her waist correctly. _"Funny, you would think that's the easiest part."_ The arms were trickier as it put her in an awkward position. The chest was done fairly quickly. _"Finally!" _She thought as she jogged out the door and back to the stadium.

Shadis had her strap herself in with the stabilizer belt, not commenting how it took her nearly eight minutes to get the body belts on.

"Begin!" Aurora was being lifted into the air. Her father's face flashed before her face for a split second, and it took all of her strength not to cry. She remembered that a couple years earlier she asked her brother how he managed to stay up in the air with that "hunk of metal." He responded simply with, "All you need to do is be tight and loose at the same time." She mentally thanked him for telling her that, as it was the only thing holding her up straight.

She was set down after a short while. Keith Shadis took a few short steps to her, holding out his hands. She grasped his hand firmly, looking up to him. "Congratulations, you're in. Your brother already brought your bad of clothes and it's on top of your mattress. Get some sleep, I'm not going easy on you tomorrow." Keith said before leaving to his private sleeping quarters. Aurora turned to hug her brother tightly. A single tear escaped her eye.

"I promise to write to you every week, I'm not going to leave you completely alone." Aurora weakly said, her heart breaking. She knew that it would be a very long time before she would see him again.

"I know. Love yea sis."

"I love you too." With that they parted ways. She walked towards the cabin she would share with many other girls, feeling more alone with each step. She quietly opened and closed each door she walked through, careful not to alarm anyone. She saw her large white cloth bag resting atop an empty mattress. Aurora took the bad and set it down on the floor and climbed under the cover. She shut her eyes, wishing sleep would take her sooner.

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**Alright that's it guys! Don't forget to check out my friend's page that I mentioned in the first chapter. R&amp;R, favorite and follow. And have a wonderful day! Or night. Which ever works for you. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so, so sorry for the last chapter. I did it when I was half asleep. I'm sure that you can figure out the typos. Now, for the confusion of Aurora's father's age, he was 23 when he had Jer. He was 29 when he had Aurora. He was 35 in the flashback, and he died at the age of 41. I hope that clears the confusion. I\also apologize for the fact that this was so late. I had quite a few tests and major writer's block. Please enjoy the chapter. If you want anything specific, don't be afraid to ask in the review or message me.**

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Surprisingly enough Aurora only dreamt of nothingness that night. She only saw black, she heard and felt nothing. It was peace. The first peaceful moment in three days. Aurora would of enjoyed every last moment of it, if it wasn't for the ice cold sensation overthrowing her body. She shot up in bed, soaking wet, and heard a cacophony of laughter bursting out. All of her new roommates were awake and staring at her.

"Alright, loser! So in here, you follow our rules. If we ask you to shine our boots, you do it. We tell you to take a beating, you curl up in a ball and beg for kicks. If we ask you to cover our ass's, you run to Shadis blabbering about nonsense. Got it, newbie?" One girl, a tall, curly haired dark woman said. She was very slim and lean overall, and didn't have much of a chest. Her mud brown eyes stared at her, seemingly reading Aurora's every move and thought. She gave off a very manipulative and cunning vibe.

_Well she obviously has everyone looped around her pretty fucking hook of a pinky. I can't exactly win over anyone's mind. What the fuck do I do?_

"Hey! Did you not hear me? You're our slave, bitch. Get fucking dressed." With that, the dark woman and everyone left. Aurora sat there in confusion of what happened. _You'd think after losing twenty percent of our population that people would be decent to each other. Nope, it's the same old shit all over again. But at least it's better than being called a demon whore for liking to read. Fuck 'em._ Aurora quickly got dressed. She also found that the tassel of putting on the straps get easier with practice.

Rory looked over to her dresser during her little race against time to find a small paper. It was the schedule. She hurriedly looked over to the clock on the wall to find it was already 10:35.

"AH shit!" She exclaimed before running out, realizing she was already five minutes late. It took her about another five minutes to find the right cabin, miraculously guessing the right one on the first try. Everyone was staring at her and her disheveled hair. Shadis's stare was a mix of things. Confusion, irritation, and an unidentifiable emotion. The dark woman had the look predators had before they made their kill. Everyone else had pure amusement in their eyes. Aurora screwed her eyes in a 'Screw you look,' to everyone but Shadis.

"It's your first day. You didn't have the introduction. Have a seat, Miss McCombs." Shadis simply said, his gaze back to that terrifying angry look. She ran to her seat, the lone empty seat in the front corner.

"Alright, so back to the main topic. Now the Titan's body is oddly light, contrary to Miss Reid's insistent belief," Aurora looked back to see the dark woman from earlier huff and throw her hair back. _Well now I have a name for the face._ "The Titan's body is feather light. Courtesy off Hanji Zoe, head Survey Corps scientist..." On and on he went on about the Titan's body structure and movement.

Aurora seemed to be the only one not drifting off or dreading the lesson. She knew that this would be useful for the future, but everyone seemed to not care._ Once again, you'd think they'd care more since we did loose twenty percent of our population._

In almost no time at all, he dismissed everyone for physical training. The isles were flooded with different trainees. Before Aurora could stand up and leave, Reid discreetly nudged her books over while whispering, _"Your ass is mine, Newbie."_

Rory quickly shoved everything in her knapsack and ran out the room. Shadis was holding the door open for her. Before she could ask why, he answered her.

"I need to lock the place up. Get your ass out there, McCombs." She nodded curtly before jogging out to her cabinet, locking her valuables up, then jogged out into the training grounds. Everyone was already lined up, tensed and ready for action.

Aurora simply walked over and stood at the end. She didn't bother tensing her body up. She remembered from her training with her father that tensing up will only help said person if they had a cannon coming at them. Otherwise loosen up, and always adapt to the person's movements.

Keith Shadis walked over, and everyone including Aurora saluted. He stared at each and everyone of them with that menacing stare. Then he stopped pacing.

"Alright maggots! Here are you partners for today! Mia Hendrex and John Lockford!" An average height fifteen year old with a chocolate bob walked forward, along with an average height seventeen-year-old with black hair and deep olive skin. "Alyssa Hiert and Samuel Smithers!" A sixteen-year-old girl with dirty water hair and a fourteen-year-old with freckles and mud colored hair walked forward.

This went on for a while. Now Aurora was getting bored. Then she heard her name get called. Along with a dreading sensation.

"Aurora McCombs and Rachel Reid!" The woman walked forward, smirking at Aurora, her eyes saying, _"Told you so!"_ Aurora walked towards her, dread filling every inch of her body. They stood there, staring at each other while everyone was pared up and went off into their own areas to spare.

Rachel charged at her.

**That's it! R&amp;R (that means rate and review), follow and favorite. It would mean a lot if you told your friends about this story. Also if there's anything, ANYTHING, then leave a review or message me what it is so I can review. Also if there's anything you wanted in here, rate or message. Stay classy, San Diego. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey fellow Titan Shifters! Sorry if it has been a while since my last update, I was caught up in school work stuff, then I was waiting for Fanfiction to fix their border line button. Which they haven't so far. Anyways I wanted to thank everyone to is following this story, and favoriting too. Not only that, but also those who followed and favorited my profile. It means so much to me. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! **

Aurora acted on instinct and lifted up her knee and kicked through Rachel's abdomen, sending the older female flying a good few feet before colliding into one of her friends sparring with some random boy. Aurora froze for a second before holding her position, mentally thanking her father for teaching her basic kick-boxing.

Rachel stood up after about five seconds of recovery, glaring her dark eyes at the short redhead. She bared her teeth before stalking forward, stopping just in front of Aurora, her eyes daring the redhead to make a move. Aurora did her best to hide the uncertainty in her eyes, but a sliver of it escaped and egged on the taller woman.

"What, can't throw a punch now? Fine I'll take my turn, Red." Rachel snarled before throwing a right hook. Aurora dodged the hit but fell into her trap and was kneed in the abdomen, the brunette's eyes shining with victory. Aurora fell onto her knees, clutching her gut. She didn't have any time to recover before receiving a swift left hook to the jaw, knocking her to the ground. Kick after kick she received relentlessly to her gut, or at least at first. The brunette decided to kick her in the throat, making Aurora snap her head to the opposite side, and blood spilling from her mouth. Aurora, despite being in a shocked state, managed to kick Rachel's feet out from under her.

A loud yell sounded, and a blurry figure ran over to Aurora and Rachel. Aurora started to see black dots, and couldn't quite hear what the figure was saying to Rachel, but it didn't sound quite good. Just before Aurora's vision completely blacked out, she saw the figure backhand Rachel, sending her to the ground.

The redhead opened her eyes to see that she was in the medical bay. She slowly sat up, not wanting to make the migraine worse than it is. Any kind of clothe was white, which didn't help Aurora's head much. She was still in her uniform, but her shirt was stained with blood.

Shadis entered the bay, pushed the curtains aside, and walked towards the redhead. His eyes were as blank as ever. _Should I ask him anything or would that get me in trouble? _The redhead wondered to herself before he started talking to her.

"Before you ask, Rachel will be punished to attempting to break your neck. Luckily you didn't receive any serious damage from what the doctors said," Shadis took a few more steps towards her before kneeling down. "Follow my finger." Aurora, confused, obeyed his order and followed his finger with her eyes. "Now, tell me how many fingers I'm holding up." He held up a random number of fingers.

"Three," Aurora answered, finally understanding that he's seeing if she had a concussion. He flashed a candle in front of her eyes before standing up.

"We're about to move out, meet us out in the forest in three minutes. Meet me before you retire for the night, for missing work." Before Aurora could ask how long she was out, he left. _Well, that's dandy. Lets go to run for God knows how long, _Aurora thought before sprinting out of the door, following Shadis until she joined the mass in front of the forest.

"Alright maggots! I'm going to go easy on you and make you pathetic cowards run fifteen miles instead of thirty! Any stragglers will join Miss Reid on cleaning the stables! Move out!" Everyone started to spread out and sprint forward into the forest.

About twenty minutes in she felt someone kick Aurora's feet from under her. When she got up she saw Rachel with a swollen purple cheek. Aurora growled and sprinted after her. She couldn't catch up with the group and ran out of breath, stopping so that she wouldn't pass out. Not even ten seconds later she started running again, not sprinting up gaining more speed, determination fueling her system.

"Fuck that Rachel bitch, fuck the Garrison, fuck the Titans, fuck everyone!" Rory growled under her breath, adrenaline pushing her faster. She though about the boy with sea-green eyes, all that he most likely lost, she thought about Shinganshi, she thought about her brother, her father. Aurora sped past Rachel, her left corner smirking at the brunette as she tried to catch up, but failed. She sped past everyone and reached the front, no longer feeling the cramps affecting her ribs, or her migraine. Aurora wanted to prove everyone that she wasn't one to fuck with.

It was nightfall before the group returned back to their base. Aurora gripping her sides, feeling the pain again. She defeated everyone and stayed in the front line for the entire duration of the fifteen mile run. Everyone groaned and moved past her. Rachel slowed to her side.

"Really?" Rachel snarled at Aurora, hatred dripping from that single word. Aurora wheezed out a victorious chuckle.

"Worth it..." Rory managed to say. Shadis walked past the both of them, not bothering to stop whatever the two were talking about.

"Lockford!" Shadis yelled out. Immediately the olive-skinned boy jumped out, making a salute, "You're making dinner since you were half-assing your run." Shadis ordered, making the olive -skinned boy frown, but obeyed. "The rest of you head for the mess hall." Everyone started to walk towards the said destination, stomachs rumbling and throats dry.

Aurora decided to simply walk, not in any hurry to eat. The thought of food made er nauseous. She decided to get lost in her head, wondering how her brother, Eren, and his friends were doing. She was the last to get there, and everyone already had their soup and bread. She mindlessly grabbed the last loaf and got herself her bowl of soup. Aurora walked to the least filled table and sat at the edge of the corner. She let her mind go blank and detached herself from her senses, effectively ignoring any kind of noise anyone was making. She ended up drinking all of her soup and eating only half of her bread.

She decided not to waste any time and headed to outside and looked around for Shadis. It took her almost ten minutes to notice that one of the cabin's light was still on. She entered the building, and saw that Shadis was collecting some papers together. He didn't even turn around before calling her name out.

"Miss McCombs, here's the work you missed in your 3DMG Mechanics class. Make sure you study it. I don't want to hear another Trainee complaining on how boring this is and how it's useless. Dismissed." Aurora decided not to respond and leave the room. She walked back into the girl's barracks, and walked to her bed before reading the large stack of papers.

She barely had time to put it on her dresser before passing out.

**Alright, what did you think? Was it too boring? Too vague? What do you want to see in the next chapter? Review or PM me if there's any requests. Don't forget to follow and favourite, for those new comers. Stay classy, San Diego.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING GONE FOR SO LONG! School was being a bitch with the essays. I also was going through some personal stuff, which spiked writer's block. I have a lot of excuses, but I'm really sorry. As an apology, I'll give you guys a Christmas special. Anyways, here's your special! Please enjoy: Indigo Mist, Smile Ren, SulliMike23, nessatan, and sophiewhettingsteel!**

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Aurora shifted through her dresser for her thermal underwear, shivering from the cold. She already had her thick red winter coat laid down on her mattress, along with her thick beige sweater and several pairs of black pants. A plain white pair of thick wool socks were balled up next to her pants, alongside with black mittens.

"Aha!" Rory exclaimed to herself, pulling the plain white thermal underwear out from under her usual underwear. She undressed from the military uniform she usually wears, along with her normal underwear. Aurora promptly tugged on the thermal along with the socks first. She put on the pants and sweater next. Finally she got the thick coat and mittens on. She almost forgot about her winter boots next to the doorway.

Aurora waddled out of the sleeping barracks and into the snow. She saw Shadis and fellow Trainees standing next to him in the distance. Everyone seemed to be shivering except for Shadis. It took her about six minutes of hopping to get to the edge of the forest with everyone else.

"Alright, maggots! Listen up!" All of the Trainees saluted Shadis, "You're all here because you're failing a class! If any of you want to get into the Miliary Police, then you must get to the rendevous exactly seventy two km out. It will have food, water, and blankets. You must survive one night. Good luck." Once he finished yelling at them, everyone but Aurora and a raven haired stranger broke off into groups and ran into the forest.

Aurora looked curiously towards the stranger next to her. She barely saw any of her black hair sticking out from the hood and hat she wore. Her indigo scarf effectively hid the majority of her pale face. Aurora could see that the stranger had forest green eyes. The stranger didn't take notice to Rory's not so subtle staring and walked ahead, getting lost in the shadows of the forest.

"Ah. Alone at last," Aurora breathed out, a little cloud manifesting from her mouth and disappearing. Her stance loosened up and relaxed, and her stride went as far as it could with her height. She decided to give a few twirls with a giggle, enjoying the solitude that she became so acquainted with. It was the only time she could feel like she was human again. The only time she could figure out who she is again.

She started to hop a little bit, still restrained by the amount of clothing she had on, to move faster. Aurora admired the beauty of the forest about her, the pristine snow, and how most of the snow lay untouched. How the snow sparkled in the light of the lantern hooked to her hip Aurora let herself smile for the first time in a week since she last got her letter from Jer. She lost track of time, how many steps she made, how much km she has left.

"Gah!" Aurora shrieked out in pain as she twisted her ankle over a root that was buried in snow. She tripped over her side and fell down a steep hill to her right. Snow slid under her coat and sweater as she rolled down the side, unable to stop herself. When Aurora finally stopped she hit her head overtop a hidden rock, and broke the lantern , cutting herself in the hip. She shrieked out in pain again, this time louder.

Aurora painfully looked over to the left side of her hip, head throbbing and bleeding a bit. She saw that she was bleeding profusely and a piece of glass was stuck. "Shit," Rory said weakly. "What the hell do I do!? I could make the wound worse if I pull the glass. But it'll do more damage staying in. Oh hell..." Rory pulled the glass out, crying out in pain as she did so. The wound started to bleed more.

Aurora took off her boot. She took the sock and pressed it to her hip. She numbly got the boot back on, then attempted to stand. She fell, her left leg screaming in agony. Aurora started to crawl up the hill. By the time she got back to the top, she was completely numb and falling asleep.

Aurora saw someone running towards her, but whoever it was, it was blurry. She was losing her consciousness by the time the stranger got to her and looped her arm around it's neck. Rory's hand fell to her side when she finally lost consciousness.

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Her gray-blue eyes shot open to the bright morning light. She took in a big audible breath, and sat up quickly. Aurora winced in pain from the movement on her hip. She saw that it was bandaged and stitched up.

"You alright, kiddo?" A feminine voice said. Aurora noticed the stranger from earlier with the raven hair. She was leaning against the open doorway, arms crossed, and staring at Aurora with her forest eyes with slightly masked concern.

"Fine." Aurora said un-trustingly, masking any emotion she had from her blue gray eyes. There was slight venom in her one-worded response. The stranger lifted up her eyebrow.

"Guess you don't remember me saving your ass from blood loss and hyperthermia, do ya?" She said with some sass. Aurora's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion for a split second before returning to a flat crease.

"No." Aurora said for a second longer than needed, as if asking for an explanation. The raven haired girl lifted her eyebrow again before sighing and walking over to the chair next to Aurora's bed.

"Not much of a talker are ya? Well I was walking and heard a scream. I thought it was just Queen Bitch and her boy toy "playing," so I ignored it. When I heard ya scream again, I recognized that it wasn't Reid's voice. I started to fast walk over to ya when ya screamed again. I started running after that. I stitched that wound up for ya, by the way, and I had to kick Queen Bitch out of the bathroom to get ya into some warm water, for obvious reasons. Tucked ya in, and here we are." Aurora couldn't help her mouth from twitching up into a smile knowing that someone hated Rachel too, and had a nickname for her.

"Thank you, I guess." Aurora said slowly, still unsure about the stranger. The stranger laughed and clapped a hand over her shoulder.

"Finally a response with more than one word! Hey kiddo, what your name?" The raven haired girl asked, genuinely curious. Aurora stared at her for a good thirty seconds before responding strongly but shyly.

"Aurora McCombs, just call me Rory, alright?" The raven haired girl smiled before responding in turn.

"That's the most I've heard of ya so far. The name is Neveah Johnson." With that she patted Aurora's head and left Aurora alone to ponder the conversation. "Better suit up, we're leaving the rendevous in thirty." Neveah called out from the hall way.

"What a jolly Christmas this was." Aurora said before taking her slightly ruined clothes, taking off the gown and putting them on, and leaving with the group. This time, Neveah followed her silently, guarding her from unknown dangers.

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**Well that's my time! Bit of a long one, I know. Leave a favorite below if you liked it, follow if you want to know what happens next. Don't be afraid to tell me if there's any errors I didn't see. If you have any ideas, review below or PM me. **

**I will see you in the next chapter!**


	7. TEMPORARY HIATUS

**Hello, my fellow soldiers. This will just be an update on the story, _Journey Ahead._ I know it's been a ridiculous while since I've updated the story, but the next chapter is in the works. It's about 1,300-ish words so far, and I'm marking that the half way point. I have had writer's block with this story, and I've been working on it as much as possible when I do get inspiration for this story. I wanted to inform you that it will most likely take a while before it will be ready to be uploaded, so this will be a temporary hiatus. **

**I also wanted to apologize if this does annoy you guys. I am working hard on this, and I felt an update on the process was deserved. **

**Ebitch out. **


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello, my fellow soldiers. Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Writer's block was kicking my ass. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. I don't own anything of Attack On Titan, otherwise we'd know what was in the basement. Also I would like to thank n1htdr34m3r for following this story. Enjoy!**

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_Blood. There was a river of blood. Bodies floated on the top, their heads bobbing lifelessly up and down the current. Small, nearly thirteen years-old Aurora McCombs stood there in her ripped, dirty and bloodied school uniform. The only clothing left untouched was the pure white bandana that was tied tight around her taught throat. Tears flowed down from her bright blue-grey eyes, like the near black blood flowed down the river. _

_When she looked up, the sun scorched her skin to a light pink. Little Aurora looked around her, helplessly, and saw how the earth around her was burnt to a crisp. There was no plants, no animals. No more life. All evidence of life was the masses upon masses of bodies surrounding the small girl, and the smell of defecation and blood that they had left. _

_The earth rumbled subtly at first, then it gradually the rumble got louder and longer. Aurora held a gasp, fear stricken and unable to move. Shakily she turned her small, redhead around to see a very large, naked man about ten meters away from her. Little Aurora's high pitch scream echoed in the air, and she made herself get up and run away. But she couldn't run. The more she tried, the slower it seemed to go. _

_Something caught the girl's eyes, and she strained her head to the right. She saw her father as he was the last time she saw him. His red hair, curly and oil stained. He stood tall, lean muscle tissue evident under the black leather smock he wore. Aurora's eyes widened, and she turned directions and started to run towards him, completely forgetting about the titan behind her. His blue eyes caught Aurora, and he tried yelling something at her. But nothing would come out. _

_Then a large boulder crushed him to a pulp, his scarlet blood oozing out from under the rock. The Armored Titan ran past her father's corpse, and through the wall. Aurora screamed and tried to run faster, but it was like she was in water. Then the little girl looked down and saw that she had somehow ran into the river of blood, corpses closed in on her. The rumbling stopped, and Aurora looked behind her. _

_The titan that had been chasing her was bending over, and picked her up. Aurora flailed and kicked around, trying to escape. It was of no use. The titan opened his wide mouth, and Aurora could see bones sticking out of his molars. The titan dropped her. _

"Rory! AURORA!" Neveah's smooth voice shouted out, shaking the screaming nearly fourteen-years-old redhead awake. Not a minute later Aurora shot up, tears stained on her face. She was hyperventilating, hands clutching the sheets that wrapped her. "Hey, hey, hey! It's ok, calm down." Neveah tried comforting the younger girl, her left arm rubbing Aurora's back. Gradually Aurora's breathing calmed down to deep breathes, and she looked over at her only friend.

"Guess I'm lucky I woke up after everyone else, huh?" Aurora sarcastically said, her left corner twitching up a few times before settling down into a frown. Aurora's eyes were a dull grey now, and had a blank look in it. Neveah's pale face had a look of worry on it. She has been bunking with Aurora since that winter expedition, which was about half a year ago, and knew of her nightmares. It was never this bad.

"The hell were ye dreamin' about? Ye were screamin' like ye were being ea'en alive." Neveah asked, her accent bleeding through her question more than usual. Aurora gave a small, dark chuckle at the coincidence of Neveah's random guess.

"I guess you can say that." Aurora said in a monotone, with slight sarcasm biting her words. Neveah frowned at Aurora's attitude. Sure, Aurora can be a little robotic to strangers, or assholes, but she never acts this way to her loved ones, unless if she was truly disturbed by something. Neveah decided not push the young teenager, knowing that Aurora will eventually tell her what happened after she sorted it out for herself. She slapped her pale hand on Aurora's leg, her emerald eyes taking it's usual devious sparkle.

"Come on, up and at em," Neveah slightly yelled out, pulling Aurora up to her feet with her long arms. "We're doing a 3DMG exercise today. If we're going to eat at all, we need to hurry. And yes, you need to eat!" Neveah reminded Aurora, knowing that her friend often forgets to eat. Aurora nodded, not wanting to say anything just yet. She opened her draw and took out her military pants and a plain white button up, and started to undress from her pajamas. Neveah was already dressed and was struggling with the necessary belt straps. Aurora made quick work of the pants, and buttoned the shirt up to her mid chest for breathing room. Then came the struggle of the straps.

About tent to fifteen minutes later, they were both ready, and they jogged out of the girl's sleeping barracks and were making their way to the chow hall. Neveah would normally be talking about some new gag that the pair could pull on Rachel while they run together, but they were on a tight schedule. Aurora just blankly stared ahead, her mind still thinking about her night nightmare. _"Why would I dream about that? I thought I was over that stage. I need to write a letter to Jer, see what he thinks. And oh look-y! We're here! Thanks Shadis for the daily thirty miles to fucking run. It's always such a delight. "_

The pair practically barreled through the double doors, making an loud slamming noise, making everyone in the chow hall jump a foot in the air. Neveah didn't pay attention to the double take from Rachel, grabbing Aurora's arm and puling her to the morning soups and bread. Aurora didn't expect to be pulled around, and made a loud grunting noise, nearly falling in the process of getting to the food. Not even a second after they got to the food, Neveah was messily pouring soup into the bowls, shoving the half loafs of bread into the bowls, and quickly shoving one into Aurora's arms. Almost immediately Neveah dragged a cursing Aurora to an empty table.

"Goddammit, give me a sec- hpmf!" Aurora was interrupted by a soup-soaked half loaf of bread being crammed into her rather small mouth. Aurora glared at Neveah, soup dripping off of her chin.

"Sorry, love. As much as I love hearing you finally talking, I need you to eat and get your energy." Neveah retorted to Aurora's glare, and ungracefully shoved her own read dipped in soup into her mouth. Aurora finally took the bite instead of letting it stick out of her mouth, ripping the loaf out of her mouth.

While Neveah and Aurora ate their food rather messily, Aurora noticed that Rachel was staring at them with feigned shock across the room. _'Oh my, it's almost as if I live and train here! How dare I try to eat in front of you, Queen Bitch?" _Aurora thought sardonically to herself. She looked across her table back to Neveah, and mentally thanked herself for not pushing Neveah away. Ever since she met the young woman, Rachel backed off of her, no longer physically abusing her. Also Neveah has been training Aurora better in almost every military area imaginable. She's almost like the mother she never had.

Aurora forced Neveah to get up along with her, and they quickly rinsed their dishes before dashing out of the chow hall. Aurora scowled Neveah for dragging her by the arm again, an old habit that Neveah had. _'Just because I'm_ 5'3 _doesn't mean I need someone pulling me to make sure I keep up with all you big ass trees.' _Aurora thought to herself, once again sardonically. They only had about fifty meters before they reached the equipment storage unit. It was barely in sight and already Aurora was dreading the hell she'd inevitably experience again with the 3DMG. _'Who ever thought of this should die and burn in a Titan's stomach.'_ Aurora angrily thought, a unpleasant burning feeling in her chest. She assumed this is what burning rage was.

In the next ten minutes or so, Neveah and Aurora arrived at the station, and discovered that many people arrived there early. And the few who still couldn't figure the 3DMG out were crying in frustration with Shadis screaming that they were being babies. Aurora froze in fear. Neveah looked over at Aurora and saw the anxiety in her eyes. She patted Aurora's shoulder comfortingly.

"Come on. We've been practicing. Plus it's not going to be as bad as your first time." Neveah said, hiding her accent rather flawlessly now. Aurora didn't even bother asking why she hides it randomly. Confidence, an alien feeling, filled Aurora as she grabbed one of the 3DMG from storage unit.

Aurora started to hook up the large and bulky equipment to the body belt that she wore. The first time she failed, and it fell apart on her. Aurora caught it before it hit the ground, and glanced nervously behind her. Keith Shadis was still yelling at a girl in pigtails for being a cry baby. Aurora quickly turned her head back to the equipment before Shadis could catch her. The second attempt also failed, and made the nervous Aurora annoyed. She practiced all week with Neveah. Neveah had to hold her hand over Aurora's mouth when she failed the third time, as to prevent the fiery redhead from screaming out in frustration.

"Rememba Rory, stay calm. Ye don' wanna have Shadis yellin' at ye." Neveah quickly whispered into Aurora's ear before releasing her. Aurora made mocking sounds under her breath, and looked down to her equipment. Neveah quickly finished hooking up her 3DMG and walked over to Keith Shadis to have him check her off. Aurora started to frantically hook up the 3DMG, not wanting to look lazy. About ten minutes later she felt a tap on her shoulder. Aurora jumped up and saluted Keith Shadis.

"Sir! I have finished strapping on my 3DMG! I would like to be checked off!" Aurora slightly shouted in an awkward manner. Keith eyed her oddly, a bit thrown off my her behavior. He made an approving huffing sound, and inspected her gear. For a moment her paused on the front hook.

"The front hook is a little loose. Other than that, you're good to go." Aurora let out a sigh of relief as Keith walked away. Aurora fastened the front hook more as Keith walked up to some random cadet, and started shouting at them to hurry up. Before Aurora could catch up with Neveah, Rachel and her special cliche stopped her.

"What do you want, Queen Bitch?" Aurora snapped in monotone, trying t move past them again. Rachel's boy toy of the week, Brad, stopped her with his lumbering arm. Aurora glared up at the brown haired male who eyed her creepily.

"Ooh you're especially feisty today. Why is that? Because of that little check-off Shadis gave you? Don't feel confident about that." Rachel haughtily said, looping her slim arm around the Brad guy. Rachel and the girls she had with her giggled in a high pitched tone.

"Now why is that? What are you going to do, huh? You try anything, and I'll make sure that you're Titan shit." Aurora threatened, puffing her chest up, taking a step closer. Rachel giggled again.

"You should have taken my advice long ago, and gone back to farm. If you're smart, you should take my advice now: don't go on this little training trip. Go back to your bed, pack up, and leave. I've gone easy on you for far too long." Rachel threatened back, her voice going dark. Aurora went to throw a roundhouse kick at her, but Neveah pushed through the group and stopped Aurora.

"There a problem here, Queen Bitch?" Neveah snarled out, standing up to her full height, which is well above Rachel. Rachel backed off, a slight fear in her muddy brown eyes now. The whole group followed Rachel.

"Oh, nothing. Just giving the witch a warning." Rachel said, then turning around and leaving. The group followed Rachel in sync, almost creepily so. Neveah grabbed a hold of Aurora's arm and ran to the rest of the cadets. Aurora inwardly growled, but did nothing to stop Neveah. The two got in line with the other cadets.

"Atten-tion!" Keith Shadis yelled out, and all of the cadets made their salute. Aurora stopped herself from grunting in pain when she thumped the fist over her heart a little too hard. "We are going to go through the usual run through. We are going to run deep enough into the woods until we reach the trees that are at least thirty meters. Once we are there, y'all are going to engage your 3DMG's, and practice using your swords on fake Titans. And if anyone falls behind, you're responsible for washing the dishes for the rest of the month." Several cadets, including Aurora, visibly flinched at the thought of washing sticky, stained dishes three times a day for a month. "Move out!" With that, everyone started marching into the forest.

Aurora discreetly looked behind her multiple times for any signs of Rachel, or her goons. But they were too far behind to be of any threat. About forty-five minutes in, many of the cadets was sweating and wishing that they were dying. Aurora was funnily enough one of the few that was still doing perfectly fine. Aurora looked up at the trees that surrounded her. They were about twenty feet tall. _'Oh yippy. Looks like we're going to be running for another fifteen minutes. Oh the joy.' _Aurora thought sarcastically.

Finally they all reached their destination. The second that everyone stopped, Aurora got her swords out and ready. Within a few moments everyone was in the air, and Aurora was loving it. While she hated putting the gear on, flying through the air was totally worth it. She loved the feeling of freedom that she got from it. Aurora loved the feel of the air blowing through her red hair. The only thing she didn't like from it was how it stung her eyes. _'Maybe I should get goggles. That would fix the problem.' _

Aurora also made sure that she was somewhat in Shadis' sight at all times. She hasn't forgotten the threat Rachel made earlier. Aurora wanted to make sure that she didn't end up in the medical wing from a 3DMG accident.

Aurora finally found her first target. It was a ten meter tall "Titan," and the tough nape was completely exposed. Aurora pressed the trigger in her sword handle, which made the grappling hooks hook into a new tree, propelling her forward. She spun around in the air, and then sank her swords deep into the nape. Aurora eyed the "wound" she made. _'I can do better than that,'_ Aurora thought. She searched around or a new "Titan" to kill.

The second "Titan" she spot was freshly "killed," but Aurora cut a chunk out of it anyways. The chunk she cut out still wasn't deep enough in Aurora's eyes. She grimaced and moved on.

She searched for the third. As Aurora searched, she thought back to her dream. Aurora thought back to Shinigami, and her father. Adrenaline fueled her system, as well as rage. When she spotted the third target, a eight meter tall "Titan," Aurora rushed to it in malice. She finally thought back to the image of her father's dead body, and the Armored Titan running through the walls. Aurora cut into the nape, and it was finally deep enough to satisfy Aurora. She calmed down and continued on to the next, repeating this action until Keith Shadis called them back.

By the time they got back, it was dark and ready for supper. No one fell behind, so no one specifically had to take care of kitchen duties by themselves. As per usual, someone took a turn on being the cook, and someone reluctantly was elected to clean up the mess afterwards. Neveah and Aurora sat together at the table along with a couple of random people that just so happened to be there.

"Walls, I'm glad Shadis called us back. Things were getting boring. Same ole wooden "Titans" with that foam crap as their napes. Gah," Neveah complained, rolling her forest green eyes. Aurora made her signature awkward quirk, and let out a laugh.

"Yeah... you can saw that again. At least it's different from the pointless sparring matches," Aurora concurred, lifting her spoon up in a random manner. Neveah groaned again, putting her raven head in her hands.

"Walls, of all things that we have to do daily in this hell hole, that's the damn worst." Neveah said, and shoved a bite full of bread into her mouth. She chewed in annoyed manner. Aurora laughed to herself at the sight.

"Also what's up with Rachel? What's her reason for being such a bitch to everyone?" Aurora asked, genuinely curious. She couldn't think of any logical reason that someone would end up like that.

"I don' know. When it was all of our's first day, she was seemingly nice." Neveah said, in a slightly snappy tone. Aurora was used to this tone by now, it was a normal thing of Neveah to do. "She made a sob story about how her parents from the Center would pin her and her siblings against each other, and how they would abuse her and her siblings. Pretty sure that was all crap so she can get people wrapped around her finger. About a year in she started acting like the bitch she is today." Neveah explained. Aurora frowned, taking it all in.

"Or she uses it as an excuse to take her issues out on others." Aurora pointed out, her hands folding over her chin. Neveah scoffed.

"Either way, don't care. She's a hussy that throws fits and needs to be put in the corner." Neveah bluntly retorted, lifting her cup up to drink. Aurora shrugged her shoulders, and finished the last crumbs of her meal.

Everyone in the mess hall left, and went to their sleeping barracks. Aurora, Neveah, and the rest of the girls went to the Female cabins and climbed into their bunk beds, exhausted from the day.

"Night, Rory," Neveah said sleepily below her.

"Night, Nevs," Aurora responded, then fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

_Keith Shadis' Notes_

_Cadet Aurora McCombs Summery:_

_Miss Aurora McCombs is a spirited fighter. She's hands on, but not textbook smart. In any case, she has extreme negative emotions, and should be taken with caution. Not suitable for the MP._

_Miss Neveah Johnson, while a phenomenal fighter, gets bored too easily. Quite intelligent and protective, and holds a grudge. Should also be taken with caution. Not suitable for the MP._

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**I am so incredibly sorry how long this took. I'm not even going to lists the things that prevented me from writing this, including the writer's block. **

**I cannot promise that the next chapter will be speedier than this one. But I can promise that it'll probably be as long as this one was. Don't forget to R&amp;R, follow and favorite. **

**Ebitch out!**


	9. Permanent Hiatus

**Ok guys, I cant write this story anymore. I'm sorry, but there comes a time when i have to come to terms that this is a dead end. I've tried but I can't work come up with anything for this story. I thank the 5 followers tbat held out until the end. Ebitch out. **


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